SunKissed Skin
by lupepiccolo
Summary: When Jess and Ginny move to California, their wildest Smoshy dreams come true. *completely self-indulgent fanfic, and I have no shame. Universe changes: Smosh is not as popular -they still have to get real jobs- ; Melanie & Kalel aren't in the picture. It's basically a self-insert. Doing this for fun; don't like it, don't hate on it.*
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! So I've been reading back through this story lately and making little changes here and there. I'm trying to touch up some grammar and help the story flow more smoothly. It's tough being a grammar nazi. **

**I hope these little touches have helped improve my story! Reviews are greatly appreciated (especially thoughtful/technical ones)!**

The salty sea breeze kissed my skin as I wished something else much more wonderful was kissing my skin. The mere idea gave me goose pimples all up and down my still-pale arms, and I glanced over at the body in the beach chair next to mine. Though I couldn't see his eyes because of his dark Ray-Bands, I remembered their captivating blue colors and the way they could pierce my very soul. Corny and cliched, I know, but sometimes I really felt it was true.

"I asked you a question."

I jumped a little at the voice from my right - Jess. I laughed as I turned back to her, squinting in the sunlight.

"Well I didn't hear you. Duh."

Jess sat up, threading her fingers through her thick, burgundy hair as she pulled it back into a ponytail. "I asked you if you wanted to go to the Cabana later, but clearly you're deaf, so there's no point in you really going anyways." she laughed, scrunching up her curls.

"Well I mean I know why you wanna go," I answered, raising a suggestive eyebrow.

She punched me in the arm playfully, "Shut up!"

Jess knew very well why she wanted to go to the Cabana - Anthony worked nights there, mixing fancy drinks for drunk and not-quite-so-drunk people.

I turned back to Ian. "What do you think?"

No response. I nudged his arm, and he jumped a little, grumbling and pushing himself up in his beach chair.

"Wha?"

I laughed. "Well now that you've had your nap, I guess you should be awake enough. You up for heading back to Cabana tonight?"

He shrugged. "Sounds alright. As long as I get to sleep in tomorrow afterwards!"

"You're such a lazy-ass, Ian." Jess retorted, "It's not like you've done anything lately anyways."

"And we're just coming back here tomorrow, since Khalia and Anthony and Jace will be off."

"But putting up with them is hard work!" Ian argued jokingly, pouting and flopping back onto his chair. "I'm tired just thinking about it. Wake me up when we're leaving."

"We're leaving now!" I said, jumping up and dropping the beach bag in his lap. "It's getting late and I'm starving. Plus we need to go home and change and shower and stuff if we're going out tonight."

"Women." Ian scoffed, rolling up his towel and stuffing it inside the bag. Jess laughed and threw her own towel over his head.

"But you still love us."


	2. Chapter 2

Ian had said he would meet us here at eight. I glanced back at my phone for probably the hundredth time tonight; it was almost nine. I turned to express my frustration - or discomfort, or anxiousness, I wasn't sure - to Jess, only to see she was deep in conversation with Anthony just a few seats down. He was leaned over the bar, one arm resting against the slick glass surface, the other pouring her a second pinkish-orange drink. A second drink, this early? I sighed - Anthony must have gifted this one "on the house." I knew Jess was always responsible, but with someone like Anthony at the tap, I would have to keep a close eye on them.

I took another sip of my water; I had volunteered to be the DD for tonight, like usual. It wasn't that I was opposed to drinking - I did it on occasion - but I preferred to keep a clear head. Being around Ian fuzzed it up enough, and I didn't need alcohol making it worse.

I surveyed the club again; I knew it by heart now. Built between sand dunes, the front of the building was structured and solid, opening to a parking lot. The back side, where the bar was, had open walls edged with curtains that were anchored with polished sea-rocks. The curtains swayed in the evening sea breeze, for just through them were the sandy shores of the Pacific Ocean. I knew that if the DJ wasn't blasting dance music, I would be able to hear the crashing waves from here. I could almost still smell the salty air.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late."

I turned, and my heart fluttered a little as Ian sat down between myself and Jess.

"What happened?" I asked, trying not to sound too eager.

"There was a bad wreck not far from our house." he explained, brushing back his bangs with the tips of his fingers. I found myself itching for that same thing I had felt on the beach; could the tips of his fingers brush my own forehead that gently, just for a moment?

I realized that I had completely missed, during my moment of fantasy-world, Ian's retelling of the desperate rubberneckers that backed up traffic and delayed his trip for nearly an hour. I sighed.

During our three months here, we had known Ian and Anthony for the better few weeks of that time. After a particularly stressful week of packing, moving, unpacking, and trying to settle in to our new downtown apartment, Jess and I decided to relax and spend the day at the water park. We bumped into Ian and Anthony while waiting in line for the "World's Tallest Waterslide!" that had a convenient hour-long wait. We had recognized them immediately; they both ran a moderately successful YouTube show and vlog. I think they were just eager to meet and talk to fans (especially ones that weren't bat-crap crazy), and there really hadn't been anything else to do while waiting in line.

Jess and Anthony had hit it off right away; they had basically the same tastes in music and a great sense of humor. I was the awkward turtle, as usual, but both of the guys were really easy to talk to. I did have a tendency to stutter when Ian smiled, though, which didn't help.

The four of us spent the rest of the afternoon together and kept in touch afterwards, amazingly enough. For me, it would have been enough just to be able to treasure the memory of that single afternoon with my absolute favorite YouTubers - I had been convinced that my skin would burst into flames after being so physically close to Ian Hecox - but becoming their friend was completely surreal. They were both such cool, easy-going guys.


	3. Chapter 3

"I said come dance with me!"

I blinked as Jess called out to me again, tugging on my arm and me out of my thoughts.

"I mean I knew you were deaf, but jeez!"

I laughed, shaking my head. "You know I can't dance." I sort of wiggled my arms around in the air, imitating my signature dance move. "I'm a nerdy white girl."

"Ginny, nobody cares how you dance." she retorted, pulling me out onto the dance floor.

It was still early, and the crowd on the floor was small. There was energy; I could feel it, but it was nothing compared to what happened later in the evening. A warm summer beach breeze slipped in through the open curtains to my right, winding its way around the gyrating bodies on the dance floor.

"So. . ." I began playfully as I awkwardly shifted from foot to foot, trying to 'dance' casually enough to still have a conversation. "How do you think things are going with Ant?"

Jess shrugged. "I don't know . . ." she answered, glancing back over my shoulder towards the bar, "I mean, I really like him."

"I know that. It's pretty obvious."

She winced. "Is it?"

I grinned. "Kinda. But it's also pretty obvious that he likes you back, girly girl."

"Really?" I could see her owl-like hazel eyes light up.

"Umm, how can you not see it? He was definitely flirting with you. And I know you don't just go buying second drinks when you haven't been in the club an hour."

Blush crept across her face. "This is so exciting." I just grinned back and swayed in time with the music. I felt kind of stupid; I was a terrible dancer. I was an awkward dancer. The music just didn't flow through me when I danced the way it did when I had a guitar in my hands and my cracking voice on my lips, and even that was such a personal feeling that it sometimes got awkward in front of crowds.

"What about Ian?"

"What about him?" I tried to answer casually.

"Come on. Don't tell me that you've suddenly forgotten your enormous crush on Ian Hecox." she came back.

"That was when he was just a YouTuber." It was really hard to explain; I would fangirl like crazy about him when I was just anonymous to him. "It's . . . different now."

"So you don't like him?"

"No, no! I mean, yeah, I do like him!" I sputtered over my words, feeling more and more like an awkward turtle every minute. "It's just . . . he's a real person now. It's intimidating."

Jess laughed out loud. "Ian, intimidating? He's one of the goofiest people I've ever met."

"Jess, you know what I mean. It's the same way with Anthony, isn't it?"

She glanced back over my shoulder again. I followed her gaze, watching Ian and Anthony converse over the bar. A couple of guys approached the bar and Anthony turned away to fetch a couple of beers.

"I don't know. Maybe it's because you were a bigger 'fangirl' than me, but it's really easy just talking to Anthony."

The song ended, and it was followed by another song I didn't know, so Jess and I returned to the bar.

"Sweet moves." Ian commented as I plopped back onto the barstool, blushing. I punched his arm gently.

"Oh, shut up. I already said I'm a terrible dancer."

"That's okay. I am, too."

"I've seen you dance before on Lunchtime. I think I can believe that to an extent."

Ian laughed, circling his thumb over the opening of his bottle. "To an extent?"

"Well yeah. You can dance, but I don't think you'd do it in public. But if you had a few more of those, who knows, you might actually do it." I finished, gesturing to his dark bottle.

He lifted it. "This? Hah, no. It's non-alcoholic - I'm driving myself home tonight." he pointed to the green label that I had clearly missed - O'Doul's.

"Non-alcoholic; adventurous."

He nodded, grinning as if laughing to himself.

Maybe Jess was right. Things didn't have to be awkward with Ian. I saw her over on the other side of Ian's seat, still chatting up a very happy Anthony.

"I'm the DD tonight, myself." I added, pointing to my younger cousin. Ian glanced over his shoulder, then back to me.

"Anthony won't get her _too_ drunk." he commented, half serious and half joking.

"I know. I just prefer not to drink." I explained, and Ian nodded.

"Gotcha."

Suddenly the DJ announced the next song, and if I'd had cat ears, they would've perked up. I started squirming in my seat excitedly.

"I love this song." I said, trying not to look like an overeager fool in front of Ian. "This is basically the only song I can dance to, and so I own it."

That struck Ian as hilarious. "That's because it's the Cupid Shuffle. The lyrics are the moves."

"Exactly."

"Well, show me how well you 'own' this dance." He stood, and held out a hand towards the dance floor, where people were arranging themselves into lines.

I think I owned the dance, or at least as much as a nerdy white girl can own the Cupid Shuffle. I bumped into Ian a lot; I wasn't really convinced he knew he knew his left from his right. By the end, though, he was laughing so much that it almost hurt my heart.

The song ended, and we stumbled off the floor, laughing hysterically. I clutched my aching sides. White people dancing was hard work.


	4. Chapter 4

Ian got me to dance to one more song that night. Once Anthony was able to get a co-worker to cover for him at the bar, our foursome made our way out onto the floor. The crowd had grown significantly as the evening progressed, and the four of us pushed ourselves into the middle of the mob.

I tried to lose myself in the music; it was a song I recognized, and Jess and I put our hands in the air, jumping and swaying. The soft fabric of my skirt shimmied against my legs as I danced, and I watched Ian sort of shift a bit. I think that's what guys did when they danced. I glanced at Anthony for confirmation, only to see him making a move on my cousin, pulling her close so they could dance together.

Things suddenly felt more awkward without her beside me to diffuse things.

Whatever, I decided. Ian wasn't leaving, so he obviously didn't mind doing his awkward guy-shuffle, and I was going to embrace the music. I closed my eyes, mouthing along to the few words I knew - the words sort of repeated, which made it easier - and kept my arms in the air. I was suddenly very glad I had re-applied some Secret before Jess and I got out of the car.

And then it happened: I felt a warm body approach me and get close; extremely close. Two hands gently touched my waist. My eyes snapped open, and it was Ian, dancing with me, touching my waist, gingerly pulling me close to him. Pulling his chest against mine. My body against his. Dancing. Ian was dancing with me, his pink cheeks flushed, his teeth showing through his grin, his blue eyes watching my brown ones.

"Hi." he said, just loud enough for me to hear. I suddenly didn't know what to do with my hands, so I linked them behind his neck. He was just a bit taller than me - the top of my head was almost level with his eyes.

"Hi." I whispered back, not entirely sure how to dance now that his body was pressed so close to mine.

"Keep dancing," he said, smiling, "you're actually not a bad dancer when you really mean it."

"Mean it?" I managed to choke, because my heart was thumping so intensely that it caught in my throat.

"Yeah. You sort of lost yourself in the song for a minute." he continued. "I almost hated to end it. But . . . I really wanted to dance with you."

"You can interrupt me any time you like, Ian." I answered. I could feel him pulling me into his sway, both with his hands that still rested on my waist and his hips that pushed gently against mine. If I could have exploded right then and there, I think I would have. But all too soon, the song ended, shifting into something completely foreign to my ears; one of those terrible screamy rap songs. I felt myself slip away from Ian's light hold, and our group slipped from the crowd back to the bar..

***Author's note* Sorry if this chapter was super short, but it's my favorite one so far (for obvious reasons) and I wanted the moment to stand out.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay so I know this is another short chapter (eek) and there are probably a few little errors, but I just wanted to upload a little bit more (and another one of my favorite parts) of the story before I move tomorrow! I won't have my computer again until Monday and then I'll be ssoooooo busy with band camp that I won't be able to upload or edit or do anything story-related for a little while.**

**If you're a grammar nazi like me and see little (or big) mistakes, PLEASE POINT THEM OUT! it would be greatly appreciated, especially in my lack of proofreading/editing time :)**

**- the management**

I could vaguely hear Jess saying things to me through my right ear, but all I could feel was the heat that emanated off of Ian's body sitting to my left. I think he ordered me a drink, because I saw Anthony setting a bottle down in front of me. My mind was fuzzy again, like I had downed a few drinks already. Oh, O'Doul's. Ian remembered I was also a designated driver.

"Ginny, I swear to god that I am ordering you a hearing aid and booking your room at the nursing home when we get back."

I wrapped my fingers around the frosty bottle and finally turned to my burgundy-haired cousin. "Jess, I'm drunk."

"What? No, you're not. That's non-alcoholic beer and you haven't even had any."

"Well I'm drunk. Okay, not really. But it feels that way."

"Well sober up. I'm starving and ready to go find some food."

I guess I hadn't realized it until then, but my stomach was itching with the beginnings of hunger. My dinner-salad hadn't lasted long, apparently.

"Me too. But I'm not ready to leave yet. Give me a few minutes." Jess rolled her eyes, but smiled; she knew exactly why I didn't want to leave. I was pretty sure she wasn't ready to leave Anthony yet, either. "Go chat up the handsome bartender." I added, laughing as she plopped back down on the other side of Ian.

"You're not as bad a dancer as you think you are."

Ian bumped the back of his fist against mine, which was still wrapped tightly around my bottle of 'beer.' He took a swig of his own faux booze.

"Well . . ." I began, releasing one hand long enough to nervously run my fingers through my chopped-off pixie hair. "You helped." My voice was barely a whisper.

"You said you were hungry. Do you wanna go . . . get pizza or something?"

"Yeah, let me see if Jess -"

He cut me off, his face sobering a bit. "Well, I kinda thought . . . maybe it could be just you and me."

There it was again, my heart almost exploding. I'm sure he felt the sonicboom; the furious rush of emotion and hormones and _oh my god Ian Hecox is asking me out for pizza_ that just flooded from my chest. I grinned like an idiot. "Yeah."


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys, I'm back again! Got moved into my dorm & settled into my new little friend group in the props section of the band. Practice was rained out tonight & I was completely soaked just walking from the lot to the rez hall so I figured, what better time than to work on my chapter that involves rain?**

**Also since you guys had to wait so long on the new chapter, I made it twice as long (mostly because I couldn't think of a good way to break it up halfway, lolz)**

After I remembered how to talk again, I made sure Jess had a way home - Anthony got off work in about an hour, then he would drive her - and that my car would be safe here while Ian drove me to get food.

It was the best night of my life. The pizza was so great that I think it quite possibly melted in my mouth. I began feeling more comfortable conversing with Ian - we were both incredibly sarcastic and our personalities seemed to really work well together. We talked about video games, Smosh, our lives; normal stuff. I ended up telling him all about my parents' divorce, which was the ultimate reason I wanted a change in scenery; packed up, grabbed Jess, and moved to California.

In actuality, Jess and I had both wanted to come to the West Coast for a few years. Things weren't going too well back home for either of us; we both had trouble finding jobs, and I decided that it would be a lot easier to find my big break as a writer in California. The divorce had been what finally made up our minds; I knew I couldn't stay in my home state any longer. I needed a fresh start, and where better to find one than in sunny Cali?

As Ian and I were leaving Giorgio's, the bottom dropped out of the sky. I had heard rumbles of thunder while we were eating but hadn't really paid much attention.

"Crap." I blurted as we stood just inside the restaurant door, watching the sheets of rain fall. "I have an umbrella in my car and one in the house, but neither of them are doing me any good right now."

Ian picked up a free newspaper from beside the hostess's booth - _Sacramento Sun_, how ironic - and unfolded it, holding it over his head. "Will this do?"

I laughed. "Are you serious?" He shrugged.

"It's the best we've got."

There's something almost magical - and hilarious - about running through the pouring rain. We each held one side of the newspaper above our heads in our sprint to the car, our sides pressed close together in a futile attempt to both stay under the paper. I swear I felt his free hand against the small of my back as we ran.

Not surprisingly, we were soaked to the core when we slid into Ian's car. I checked the weather on my phone and saw there was a bad storm sitting on top of Sacramento. We decided to head back to Ian's place instead of him driving me back to my car; his apartment that he shared with Anthony was only about ten minutes away, but my car was at least a half-hour's drive away or longer because of the storm.

The rain was dumping down in buckets when we got back to his house. He lent me some of his clothes to change into - pajama pants that were too small for him to fit into and a big, baggy t-shirt. He changed into something similar and I made myself comfortable on their plush sofa while he brewed himself some tea. After a few minutes, he sat cross-legged beside me, one hand wrapped around a steaming mug of tea and the other flipping through TV channels and finally landing on something weathery.

"Looks like this storm might last a while." I commented, twisting the hem of the shirt between my fingers. It was soft, navy blue, and bore a faded logo across the front. It smelled nice, too.

Ian nodded. "Yeah. There's a tornado watch, too, for the next couple hours. I don't think it's really safe to drive."

"Let me make sure Jess made it home okay." I snatched up my purse from beside the sofa and dug out my phone; three new messages.

_Jess: o. . thank you for letting anthony drive me home 333 _

_Jess: hope you have fun on your date ;) let me know if u aren't coming home 2nite. lol, jk._

_Jess: R u ok? Bad storm 2nite. Ant dropped me off & headed back home. When will u b home?_

The last message was sent ten minutes ago. I responded to let her know the situation, hoping her desire for 'all the juicy details' wouldn't keep my phone ringing all night.

"Anthony's on his way back here. Hope he's okay driving in this weather."

"Definitely. How long does it take to get here from your place?"

"Not sure. We live downtown, but I don't know the area too well yet to say." I could feel that uncertainty creeping back into my voice. Would I have to spend the night here at Ian and Anthony's? What would Jess think? Surely she would believe me; she knew just as well as I did about the storm . . .

"Downtown is about an hour away. In this weather, he'll be a while." Ian figured, then turned his attention back to flipping TV channels.

I took advantage of the momentary lapse in conversation to glance around the room - it looked exactly as it did in all the videos. The reality - or surreality - of the moment struck me suddenly. I was in Carmichael, California, in Ian & Anthony's house, sitting on their sofa in a pair of Ian's old pajamas. I don't know why, but I suddenly felt like crying.

"Are you okay?"

I could see Ian's brows tilted upward, his blue eyes wide with concern. Or maybe confusion. I shrugged.

"I'm okay." I said quietly, fidgeting with my hands.

"Hey, you know you can tell me. We're friends, right?"

"That's why this is so weird to say." I confessed, glancing around the room again. "I've watched Smosh videos for a couple years now and so . . . your house feels so familiar, even though this is the first time I've been here." I tilted my head back, laughing and flushing with embarrassment.

To my intense relief, Ian laughed. He reached out and laid a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it lightly. My heart fluttered.

"Hey, it's okay." he said, "You don't have to be nervous. You're cool."


	7. Chapter 7

"I probably should have offered earlier, but do you want tea?" Ian continued, gesturing to his mug.

I shrugged. "Sure, why not?" While he was making the tea, I flipped through the channels and found a sitcom I watched occasionally.

"So do you think you'll stay here tonight?" he asked as he sat back down, passing me a warm mug. I stirred the teabag and considered my answer. Unless the storm passed, I wouldn't be able to ride home. I gave a non-committal shrug.

His arm stretched out over the back of the sofa, not quite touching my shoulders, but almost. I shivered and leaned forward a bit, setting my mug onto the coffee table.

"You should really call this a tea table, bec-"

BANG!

There was a flash of thunder and lightning, and with a soft whine, the lights went out. I clapped my hands over my mouth as I let out a tiny squeak of surprise. Blushing, I sank back into the sofa, curling my legs up to my chest.

"You okay?" Ian's soft voice filled my left ear. In all honesty, I was terrified. I had been afraid of the dark ever since I was a little girl; yes, I know it's a ridiculous phobia, but it had managed to stick.

I nodded, then realized he couldn't see me in the darkness. "Yeah. Just a little surprised is all." I lied, and my voice cracked a little bit, betraying me.

"You sure?" His arm slid down from the back of the sofa to rest across my shoulders, and fear suddenly melted away. The rest of my body melted, too, I think. I nodded again stupidly.

"Yeah." My voice was smaller, but not as shaky as it had been. Did I dare to curl up against Ian's body? Could that simple gesture transform this friendship into something more? Was it crossing a line too early? He did, after all, have his arm around my shoulders, perhaps as an invitation. Or it could just be a gesture of comfort.

_Who the hell cares_, I thought, and I dared to take a risk; I snuggled myself down into his side. Ian was warm. Soft, too. I could feel his body shifting, almost as if he were turning toward me.

"I wish I could see your face."

If he could've seen me, he would've seen the deep vermilion that colored my normally pale cheeks.

His hand plopped roughly against my forehead. "Huh. These kind of feel like eyes," he remarked as he poked my cheeks. I giggled fiercely as his hands squished my cheeks together and my lips poked out like a fish.

"Yes. This is definitely a face." he announced, laughing along with me. He pulled one hand away and with the other was suddenly tender. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could see his face smiling warmly. His bright blue eyes still twinkled in the darkness; Where was the light coming from? Oh, one of those glowing plug-in air fresheners. Ian's eyes could make any light romantic, apparently.

His now-tender touch brushed the rumpled, wavy, and still-damp hair from my forehead. The tips of his fingers trailed just above my eyebrow, down my cheek, behind my ear, and came to rest cupping the back of my head just above my neck, where my hair was trimmed short and scratchy.

"Hey." he whispered just like earlier this evening when we danced. His eyes smiled knowingly.

"Hi." I whispered back, barely breathing, my arms and legs curled up against my chest.

There was a pressure at the back of my neck - Ian's hand, pulling me closer to him. I grinned widely, my eyes closing, though I could have watched him forever. I could feel his warm breath on my face - it smelled like tea.

His lips brushed mine, still smiling as they kissed softly. He drew back just a hair, and I opened my eyes: he was looking back, almost as if asking, _"Is this okay?"_ I pushed my lips back against his; softly, just enough to answer him.

"_Yeah."_

He was an incredibly gentle kisser. His lips were soft; softer than I had expected, but the way they captured mine between them was so tender that I melted into him.

A sudden rattle at the door pulled him away from me: keys jangled in the lock, and the door squeaked open.

"Oh man, I guess the power's out on the whole street!"

Anthony was home.

***More fluffiness! And they finally kissed (sorta)! I feel like this story is just a sequence of Ian & Ginny fluff-scenes. I'll try to add more interesting (getting-to-know-the-relationship-/-each-other) things later on. And more stuff with Jess & Anthony, perhaps! (yes, Jess, be excited). HOORAY***


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